Mother West Wind

You know when you find something you just think is awesome and you just have to shout it from the mountaintops? I've found something and since I live in a valley with only the sight of Mt. Hood, blogging about it will have to do. So a little bit about this week. It was AWESOME! The theme was Water World and finally the temperature cooperated and we actually were able to have some water fun. We also learned a great deal about the water cycle, about how essential water is to all living things (including our chickens) and about the many animals that live in water.

The weather was so nice today that we literally spent the entire day outside. We did our art projects outside, we had a picnic lunch and instead of rest time on a mat indoors, we stretched out on a blanket with the warm sun on our backs and the cool breeze in our hair, and I read to the kids. We had finished The Secret Garden yesterday and I don't like to start chapter books on Friday, so I grabbed my trusty Kindle and started reading, Why Peter Rabbit Cannot Fold His Hands. It's a wonderful story from a collection in Mother West Wind's Why Stories by Thornton W. Burgess.

"Instead of hurrying home and getting to work himself, Mr. Rabbit stopped a while after each call and sat with his arms folded, watching the one he was calling on work. Mr. Rabbit was very fond of sitting with folded arms."

Each story begins with a question. The forest critters then go to Mr. Frog to get answers. Mr. Frog is quite old and knows a great many things. Each story has moral. I love that these stories are not like modern books that try to teach morals, books with titles like; No Hitting or Why We Shouldn't Tell Lies. Those books don't engage children they just preach to them. Children need something to think about, something to ponder. Mother West Wind's Why Stories are perfect character building stories. These stories are so wonderful that I would pay a pretty penny for them, but fortunately they are free through the Gutenberg Project. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Enjoy,

Alida